The present invention relates to a valve, in particular vacuum valve, with an opening surrounded by a valve seat, and a closure member, wherein, in a closed position, the closure member is pressed onto the valve seat and closes the opening and, in an intermediate position, is raised from the valve seat and is arranged overlapping the opening and, in a maximum opening position, entirely or at least partially releases the opening, wherein the valve has at least one first valve drive for moving the closure member to and/or fro between the maximum opening position and the intermediate position along a first movement track, and at least one second valve drive for moving the closure member to and/or fro between the intermediate position and the closed position along a second movement track, and the first movement track and the second movement track are arranged in an angled manner with respect to each other.
Such valves are basically known in the prior art. They are frequently used in vacuum technology and are also referred to as “L valves or J valves”. The more or less L- or J-shaped movement of the closure member from the maximum opening position into the closed position and vice versa is implemented with the effect of long-term durability of the seal attached either to the valve seat or to the closure member in order to keep shearing movements at the seal as small as possible or to eliminate same.
DE 10 2008 049 353 A1 shows such valves in various embodiments. In the exemplary embodiments of this document, the first valve drive for moving the closure member between the maximum opening position and the intermediate position is designed in the form of a piston-cylinder arrangement and is mounted in a “guide unit”. During the movement of the closure member from the intermediate position into the closed position and vice versa, this guide unit is moved at the same time. This therefore means that the first valve drive is also always moved to and fro during this movement. The exemplary embodiments of this prior art differ from one another only in the manner of the second valve drive for moving the closure member between the intermediate position and the closed position. The first exemplary embodiment of the document is a piston-cylinder arrangement which operates counter to a spring loading. In another exemplary embodiment of this document, a lever solution is realized as the second valve drive.
Furthermore, valves of the type in question and which are provided under the designation transfer valve/insert L-motion series 04.3/05.3 are known in the prior art. In the case of this valve, cylinders of the first and second valve drive are integrated in a housing of the valve. In this prior art, the connection of the vertical and horizontal stroke, i.e. movement along the first and second movement tracks, takes place by means of a bolt which is attached and mounted at right angles on the cylinder of the first valve drive and on which a yoke slides during the movement along the second movement track or during the horizontal movement.